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Tuesday, September 22
Bowling Green, Ohio
7:00 PM
Bowling Green State University
vs
Oakland
Falcons Host Three Matches; Open MAC Play This Weekend
September 21, 2009 | Volleyball
The Bowling Green volleyball team has three matches this week to turn around the momentum of the past two weeks. The Falcons have lost five of their last six contests but do play all three matches in Anderson Arena this week, a place where Bowling Green has historically played very well. The team hosts Oakland in a non-conference midweek match before opening conference play Friday and Saturday against Akron and Buffalo.
Complete Game Notes (.pdf)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Bowling Green looks to snap its three-match losing streak against Oakland Tuesday night, a team the Falcons have beaten up on in the past. BGSU is 12-0 all-time against the Grizzlies with a 25-22, 25-22, 25-18 sweep a year ago. In fact, Oakland has won just one set total in those 12 matches. Bowling Green holds a 26-11 record against Akron and has won 10 consecutive matches over the Zips in the past five years. BGSU is 18-1 all-time against Buffalo, including an 11-0 mark in Anderson Arena, and have won nine straight since a 2003 loss to the Bulls.
THE OPPONENTS
Oakland has jumped out quickly in the 2009 season, posting an 8-2 record, including a 3-1 mark in the Summit League. Adrienne Leone ranks among the national leaders with 3.73 kills per set and Brittany Dunn's 4.22 digs per set lead a team that specializes in keeping balls in play. Head Coach Rob Beam is in his third season at Oakland and the program has already equalled its win total from a year ago when the squad went 8-21.
Akron enters Friday's match with Bowling Green at 8-6 overall but the Zips have lost four of the last five matches. Brionna Patterson will be a force to stop at the net as she averages 3.89 kills per set. Head Coach Ron Arenz led Akron to an 11-17 record in his first season with the team in 2008, including 5-11 in MAC play.
Buffalo is 9-4 on the year and enters the week on a three-match winning streak after winning the Cornell Tournament. Lindsey Schlegel leads the MAC with 0.55 aces per set and Tori Beckman is second in the conference in digs, posting 4.73 per set. Head Coach Todd Kress is in his first season at Buffalo but enters the 2009 campaign with a 255-156 career record in 14 years at the Division I level. He was the second-youngest head coach in NCAA history to reach 200 career wins.
THE VICTORY MARCH
With a 7-6 start to the 2009 season, head coach Denise Van De Walle has compiled a career record of 494-328 in 27 years at Bowling Green, needing just six more to reach milestone win No. 500. Since 2006, the Falcons have racked up an impressive 79-31 overall record and has won 20 or more matches in each of the last three campaigns. Van De Walle is one of the 30 active winningest coaches in NCAA Division I and her 494 wins are easily the most in Mid-American Conference history.
DEFENDING THE HOUSE THAT ROARS
Although the team went just 1-2 to open the season at home in the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational, the Falcons still hold one of the best home courts in the country -- Anderson Arena. BGSU is 23-5 at home since 2007 and entered this year with a nine-match winning streak. Opponents hit just .198 in 12 matches a year ago in "The House That Roars".
THE NEMESIS
Just as Lex Luthor was Superman's nemesis, Shari Luther has been a nemesis to opponents in the early going. Even if they aren't related (OK, we realize the last names aren't even spelled the same and Lex Luthor is fictional), Luther is causing headaches for opponents the way Luthor and his cryptonite must have caused for Superman. She was named Most Valuable Player at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Tournament after averaging 2.8 kills per set and a team-best .430 attack percentage on the weekend. She also had a team-high 13 blocks and served up three aces. For those efforts, she also received the first MAC East Division Offensive Player of the Week award for 2009. She followed that up by being named to the all-tournament team at the Ohio State Sports Imports Classic. On the year, she ranks second on the team with 2.72 kills per set and leads the team with a .389 attack percentage and 37 blocks.
ACTION JACKSON
Senior Kaitlin Jackson has been a versatile player throughout her career with the Falcons. She recorded the first two double-doubles of her career at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Tournament and continued to produce in New Orleans, coming up one kill short of another double-double against Texas Tech. At the Ohio State Sports Imports Classic, she had 12 kills and 10 digs against Cleveland State for her third double-double of the season. She ranks among the top four on the team in kills, attack percentage, aces, digs, blocks, and points.
WHO'S THAT KID?
Freshman setter Allison Kearney is one member of a highly touted class at Bowling Green. In her first collegiate weekend, she lived up to the billing. Kearney averaged 11.5 assists per set, led the team with nine aces and added 2.5 digs per set. She has been named to all-tournament teams at both the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational and the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational. On the year, she is averaging 10.34 assists per set (which ranks second in the MAC), is second on the team with 11 aces, and is third with 105 digs.
THE DOMEK SHOW
For Mid-American Conference opponents, it may seem like Corey Domek has been around forever. The senior left side hitter has received MAC postseason honors in each of her first three years with Falcons. She was named to the conference's all-freshman team in 2006 and has followed that up with back-to-back second team all-conference honors. She has already climbed three spots this year to 10th place in BGSU history with 1,229 career kills and needs 14 more to match Holli Costein (1989-92) for ninth place.
KAUTH IS COMING ON
Sophomore Emily Kauth played in just five matches a year ago but she has taken on a much larger role in her second season with the Falcons. She exploded in New Orleans, tying for the team lead in kills at the event while hitting an impressive .411. Kauth added two aces (tying for the team high) and six blocks (second most on the team) in the three matches. She put together possibly the best match of her career in the team's four set win over Robert Morris at the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational, finishing with a career high 18 kills and hitting .500. She is currently third on the team in kills and second with a .327 attack percentage. Kauth also leads the team in aces and ranks second in blocks.
FILLING BIG SHOES
Junior Alex Zlabis had some big shoes to fill this year when she replaced Chelsey Meek, who set an NCAA record for consecutive matches with at least 10 digs, in the lineup. But Zlabis has played well, averaging 3.55 digs per set through the first 13 matches. She has increased her serve receive percentage (from .837 to .938) and has tied her ace total from a year ago (five).
RISING TO THE TOP
Since 2006, the Bowling Green volleyball program has been one of the best and most consistent teams in the Mid-American Conference. The Falcons have the second best overall record and MAC record in the conference during that time frame. Here are the combined records for each MAC team since 2006:
Records through 9/19/09
Team Overall (Pct.) MAC (Pct.)
Ohio 86-23 (.789) 44-4 (.917)
Bowling Green 79-31 (.718) 37-11 (.771)
Western Michigan 77-41 (.653) 34-14 (.708)
Central Michigan 65-37 (.637) 29-19 (.604)
Miami 59-49 (.546) 34-14 (.708)
Northern Illinois 56-47 (.544) 30-18 (.625)
Kent State 55-51 (.519) 20-28 (.417)
Eastern Michigan 43-66 (.394) 18-30 (.375)
Toledo 38-65 (.369) 12-36 (.250)
Buffalo 39-69 (.361) 6-42 (.125)
Ball State 36-70 (.340) 18-30 (.375)
Akron 28-77 (.267) 7-41 (.146)
YOUTH IS SERVED
The Bowling Green coaching staff had a stellar offseason, putting together a recruiting class ranked among the best in the Mid-American Conference. In fact, PrepVolleyball.com named the freshman class as a high honorable mention group -- one of only two MAC classes to achieve that honor. The class made an impact already as setter Allison Kearney has been named to a pair of all-tournament teams and ranks third in the MAC in assists. Cassie Berning ranks in the top six on the team in kills, attack percentage, aces, digs, and blocks, gaining valuable early season experience. Kari Galen has played in five matches so far and has a respectable .267 attack percentage with a pair of blocks.
HITTING THE BOOKS
Bowling Green has always stressed academics and Falcon volleyball has been a model of that philosophy. The 2008 BGSU volleyball team received the AVCA Academic Team Award for the ninth consecutive season, compiling a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or better. The Falcons have the second longest streak in all of NCAA Division I and has received the award 10 times overall.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
Fans and media can keep up-to-date on the Bowling Green volleyball team at the official site of Bowling Green athletics, BGSUFalcons.com. Match recaps, previews, statistics, bios and much more can be found on the website.
Complete Game Notes (.pdf)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Bowling Green looks to snap its three-match losing streak against Oakland Tuesday night, a team the Falcons have beaten up on in the past. BGSU is 12-0 all-time against the Grizzlies with a 25-22, 25-22, 25-18 sweep a year ago. In fact, Oakland has won just one set total in those 12 matches. Bowling Green holds a 26-11 record against Akron and has won 10 consecutive matches over the Zips in the past five years. BGSU is 18-1 all-time against Buffalo, including an 11-0 mark in Anderson Arena, and have won nine straight since a 2003 loss to the Bulls.
THE OPPONENTS
Oakland has jumped out quickly in the 2009 season, posting an 8-2 record, including a 3-1 mark in the Summit League. Adrienne Leone ranks among the national leaders with 3.73 kills per set and Brittany Dunn's 4.22 digs per set lead a team that specializes in keeping balls in play. Head Coach Rob Beam is in his third season at Oakland and the program has already equalled its win total from a year ago when the squad went 8-21.
Akron enters Friday's match with Bowling Green at 8-6 overall but the Zips have lost four of the last five matches. Brionna Patterson will be a force to stop at the net as she averages 3.89 kills per set. Head Coach Ron Arenz led Akron to an 11-17 record in his first season with the team in 2008, including 5-11 in MAC play.
Buffalo is 9-4 on the year and enters the week on a three-match winning streak after winning the Cornell Tournament. Lindsey Schlegel leads the MAC with 0.55 aces per set and Tori Beckman is second in the conference in digs, posting 4.73 per set. Head Coach Todd Kress is in his first season at Buffalo but enters the 2009 campaign with a 255-156 career record in 14 years at the Division I level. He was the second-youngest head coach in NCAA history to reach 200 career wins.
THE VICTORY MARCH
With a 7-6 start to the 2009 season, head coach Denise Van De Walle has compiled a career record of 494-328 in 27 years at Bowling Green, needing just six more to reach milestone win No. 500. Since 2006, the Falcons have racked up an impressive 79-31 overall record and has won 20 or more matches in each of the last three campaigns. Van De Walle is one of the 30 active winningest coaches in NCAA Division I and her 494 wins are easily the most in Mid-American Conference history.
DEFENDING THE HOUSE THAT ROARS
Although the team went just 1-2 to open the season at home in the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational, the Falcons still hold one of the best home courts in the country -- Anderson Arena. BGSU is 23-5 at home since 2007 and entered this year with a nine-match winning streak. Opponents hit just .198 in 12 matches a year ago in "The House That Roars".
THE NEMESIS
Just as Lex Luthor was Superman's nemesis, Shari Luther has been a nemesis to opponents in the early going. Even if they aren't related (OK, we realize the last names aren't even spelled the same and Lex Luthor is fictional), Luther is causing headaches for opponents the way Luthor and his cryptonite must have caused for Superman. She was named Most Valuable Player at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Tournament after averaging 2.8 kills per set and a team-best .430 attack percentage on the weekend. She also had a team-high 13 blocks and served up three aces. For those efforts, she also received the first MAC East Division Offensive Player of the Week award for 2009. She followed that up by being named to the all-tournament team at the Ohio State Sports Imports Classic. On the year, she ranks second on the team with 2.72 kills per set and leads the team with a .389 attack percentage and 37 blocks.
ACTION JACKSON
Senior Kaitlin Jackson has been a versatile player throughout her career with the Falcons. She recorded the first two double-doubles of her career at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Tournament and continued to produce in New Orleans, coming up one kill short of another double-double against Texas Tech. At the Ohio State Sports Imports Classic, she had 12 kills and 10 digs against Cleveland State for her third double-double of the season. She ranks among the top four on the team in kills, attack percentage, aces, digs, blocks, and points.
WHO'S THAT KID?
Freshman setter Allison Kearney is one member of a highly touted class at Bowling Green. In her first collegiate weekend, she lived up to the billing. Kearney averaged 11.5 assists per set, led the team with nine aces and added 2.5 digs per set. She has been named to all-tournament teams at both the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational and the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational. On the year, she is averaging 10.34 assists per set (which ranks second in the MAC), is second on the team with 11 aces, and is third with 105 digs.
THE DOMEK SHOW
For Mid-American Conference opponents, it may seem like Corey Domek has been around forever. The senior left side hitter has received MAC postseason honors in each of her first three years with Falcons. She was named to the conference's all-freshman team in 2006 and has followed that up with back-to-back second team all-conference honors. She has already climbed three spots this year to 10th place in BGSU history with 1,229 career kills and needs 14 more to match Holli Costein (1989-92) for ninth place.
KAUTH IS COMING ON
Sophomore Emily Kauth played in just five matches a year ago but she has taken on a much larger role in her second season with the Falcons. She exploded in New Orleans, tying for the team lead in kills at the event while hitting an impressive .411. Kauth added two aces (tying for the team high) and six blocks (second most on the team) in the three matches. She put together possibly the best match of her career in the team's four set win over Robert Morris at the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational, finishing with a career high 18 kills and hitting .500. She is currently third on the team in kills and second with a .327 attack percentage. Kauth also leads the team in aces and ranks second in blocks.
FILLING BIG SHOES
Junior Alex Zlabis had some big shoes to fill this year when she replaced Chelsey Meek, who set an NCAA record for consecutive matches with at least 10 digs, in the lineup. But Zlabis has played well, averaging 3.55 digs per set through the first 13 matches. She has increased her serve receive percentage (from .837 to .938) and has tied her ace total from a year ago (five).
RISING TO THE TOP
Since 2006, the Bowling Green volleyball program has been one of the best and most consistent teams in the Mid-American Conference. The Falcons have the second best overall record and MAC record in the conference during that time frame. Here are the combined records for each MAC team since 2006:
Records through 9/19/09
Team Overall (Pct.) MAC (Pct.)
Ohio 86-23 (.789) 44-4 (.917)
Bowling Green 79-31 (.718) 37-11 (.771)
Western Michigan 77-41 (.653) 34-14 (.708)
Central Michigan 65-37 (.637) 29-19 (.604)
Miami 59-49 (.546) 34-14 (.708)
Northern Illinois 56-47 (.544) 30-18 (.625)
Kent State 55-51 (.519) 20-28 (.417)
Eastern Michigan 43-66 (.394) 18-30 (.375)
Toledo 38-65 (.369) 12-36 (.250)
Buffalo 39-69 (.361) 6-42 (.125)
Ball State 36-70 (.340) 18-30 (.375)
Akron 28-77 (.267) 7-41 (.146)
YOUTH IS SERVED
The Bowling Green coaching staff had a stellar offseason, putting together a recruiting class ranked among the best in the Mid-American Conference. In fact, PrepVolleyball.com named the freshman class as a high honorable mention group -- one of only two MAC classes to achieve that honor. The class made an impact already as setter Allison Kearney has been named to a pair of all-tournament teams and ranks third in the MAC in assists. Cassie Berning ranks in the top six on the team in kills, attack percentage, aces, digs, and blocks, gaining valuable early season experience. Kari Galen has played in five matches so far and has a respectable .267 attack percentage with a pair of blocks.
HITTING THE BOOKS
Bowling Green has always stressed academics and Falcon volleyball has been a model of that philosophy. The 2008 BGSU volleyball team received the AVCA Academic Team Award for the ninth consecutive season, compiling a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or better. The Falcons have the second longest streak in all of NCAA Division I and has received the award 10 times overall.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
Fans and media can keep up-to-date on the Bowling Green volleyball team at the official site of Bowling Green athletics, BGSUFalcons.com. Match recaps, previews, statistics, bios and much more can be found on the website.
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